Chapter 4
Time seemed to quickly pass as the days for Celestia’s rescue gradually came to fruition. My wounds were almost healed, leaving a few noticeable scars, though easily concealed with a simple shirt over my body. Everypony also started to become more... attached to me. They all knew what I was prepared to do. Bring Equestria back to its harmonic state with the rightful rulers in charge. But none of them truly realized how far I was willing to go until they saw me hobbling towards them, a large amount of flechette rounds in my back and torso, dried blood coating my body and wounds, along with numerous cuts and bruises. It was at that moment they knew I was prepared to die for this cause. In all honestly, this frightened them. One of the only humans to treat ponies with any emotion of sympathy and kindness, not to mention the fact I was their savior from a horrible life of slavery; and I was prepared to give my life so they may have a better future. Though flattered by the thought of me wanting to give them so much, it still made them uneasy. The constant question of, “how much is too much?” inundated their minds. They saw me as sacrificing more than anypony could have hoped for, while my perspective of the issue consisted of, “If I'm still breathing, then I haven’t given them enough.”
Though my workload for the past two weeks was profound, I still managed to bond with everypony even more than I had previously done, Applejack and Twilight the most due to them being so relatively new with me and not having the previous luxury of time that the rest of their friends had. I found myself soon enthralled about tales of their past. They reminisced about their time in Ponyville, talking about Winter Wrap Up, The Running of the Leaves, an Iron Pony Competition between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and anything else they could recall. Everypony was laughing wholeheartedly, even Luna when Twilight brought up the story of Nightmare Night. It was the first time in a long while where I felt I had a sense of genuine happiness.
Leo’s House (Two Weeks After Injury)
The time was now around three in the afternoon. I had been down in the basement, making the final adjustments to the last piece need for the plan. Satisfied with how it looked, I began to test out the controls. Each test run yielded positive results. After linking the device to my computer for a power diagnostics test, I left my basement, which I had called my man cave for the past two weeks, and preceded to head upstairs and into the kitchen. I was greeted with the sight of all my friends smiling happily at me, a large basket sitting on to of the kitchen table.
“What’s this?” I asked, walking over to the basket and opening it. My hand was quickly swatted away before I could see inside. I recoiled my hand, not from pain, but mostly due from an initial reaction. I looked towards them again before Luna spoke warmly.
“We have seen how much effort you are putting into all of this and we truly thank you. We just wanted to show you some appreciation by going on a picnic. We know it is not much, but please accept our small token of gratitude,” Luna finished. I smiled warmly at all the ponies in front of me, my eyes scanning everypony as they all blushed.
“Thank you. Thank you all. You know you didn’t have to do this.” I stated, instantly receiving Rarity’s two cents.
“But of course we did darling. You have shown us nothing but kindness and love. You have taken us into your home and allowed us to live normal lives again. This is the least we can do and I speak for everypony here when I say that we all feel guilty for not contributing more,” Rarity stated. I was at a loss for words. Everypony I looked at was nodding their head in absolute agreement with everything that Rarity had said. I found myself getting teary eyed, quickly wiping away any tears before they fell. For years I have lived without a family or even friends. I didn’t see it before, but now there was denying it. These mares that were standing in front of me were more than friends. These ponies that I have grown attached too, sharing laughs and even pain. They were more than my friends. They were my family. I loved them and they loved me, willing to do anything for one another in a moments advance. Surprisingly enough, it took me this long to realize this. Looking at all the mares I internally made an oath to myself.
This is the reason I am alive. This is the reason I am still here, to preserve the sanctity of family and friendship throughout this land. I will not rest easy until I have done everything in my power to right this wrong my people have created. There is no turning back now. ‘If’ is no longer an apposite word to use. For I will not fail, and when that time finally comes and balanced is restored to Equestria. Only then do I have permission to be at peace.
I smiled internally as I wiped away the last tear in my eye. I then grabbed the picnic basket that was setting on top the kitchen table and began to move towards the back door. Holding the door open like a gentleman, I waited for all my friends to exit before turning around and locking it. I turned my attention back to the group of smiling faces before we all began to make our way to a large meadow in the distance, completely out of view of any road or trail.
Large Meadow (An hour later)
Time seemed to quickly pass. The sky soon began to show signs of a red and pinkish appearance, signifying that it was almost time to set the sun and raise the moon, a responsibility Luna had taken upon herself. I meanwhile, continued to roughhouse with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The three of us would sometimes mess around in the living room of the house, trying to see who could pin each other the fastest, though my size added a considerable advantage. This would usually result in a two on one, Applejack and Rainbow usually on the same team. The confines of the living room often left us with little room to partake in these shenanigans. Most of the time I would knock my head on either the coffee table or the sofa, giving the two mares a brief moment to pounce. Let’s just say that I would have a few nasty bumps on my forehead by the time we were done and a short lecture from Twilight or Luna following suit. Out here it was different though. I had more room to maneuver and ‘horse around’ so to say, leaving me with almost no unnecessary injuries. As the three of us continued to roughhouse with one another, Luna was sitting next to Twilight watching us as we played. Twilight gave a content sigh, enjoying the view of her friends happy and lively. Luna was also enjoying the show, watching as Rainbow and Applejack pounced on top of me and pinned me to the ground, eliciting a laugh from the three of us before we were back at it again. During this time, Twilight turned to Luna, Luna noticing and giving Twilight her attention.
“Twilight, is there something wrong?” Luna inquired, Twilight shaking her head with a smile.
“No princess. Though I did have a question for you,” Twilight said, Luna smiling softly while she waited for her friend to ask her question.
“Leo is one of the nicest and most loving humans anypony could have met. I was wondering if you knew why he treats us the way he does?” Luna looked at Twilight, her mind in deep thought before she responded with a heavy sigh.
“Dearest Twilight, the answer for that question will lye with Leo himself. I know the answer you seek, but would inappropriate for me to infringe upon Leo’s past without his consent. If you still wish to know, I would ask Leo himself,” Luna stated, Twilight staring at the mare with a bemused look. She was about to say something else before a hand on her shoulder interrupted her. Twilight turned to see me staring at her with a soft smile on my face, completely alleviating Twilight of her curiosity for the moment. I sat down next to her and everypony else soon joined. I took in a deep breath, slowly exhaling before a large smile found its way to me.
“I have good news everypony. We are finally able to set our plan in motion to save Celestia. The last two weeks have been spent gathering intelligence and formulating a precise, detailed plan, though we already had the rough idea of how were are going to do this. I have also completed the device that is going to help us pull it off. It is back at the house and if the power diagnostic check comes back as expected, then we are able to proceed with the plan tomorrow,” I stated, Everypony beaming wide smiles of happiness and anticipation.
“Rarity, have you finished decorating the princess’s room the way I designed it?” I asked, Rarity nodding her head with a look of satisfaction.
“Wonderful. Then by tomorrow night, we will have Celestia here with us,” I claimed, standing up from the picnic blanket.
“I also think this calls for a toast. Let’s go back to the house and celebrate a bit before we head to bed,” I said, everypony agreeing with me and standing up. We began to start walking towards the house and as I turned back, I saw Luna standing in the meadow still, a strange look on her face.
“Luna is everything alright?” I asked, everypony stopping and turning around before staring at the mare.
“Yes, we are fine. We will catch up to you momentarily. I wish to perform my duty of raising the moon now,” Luna said, me picking up on her subtle body language that she wanted to be alone.
“Ok Luna. We will be back at the house. Come meet us there when you are done and try not to be too long. Even though the night is your domain, it still makes me nervous when I cannot watch over all of you,” I confessed, Luna nodding her head with a small smile. I then turned towards my house and began to walk, Luna slowly growing smaller as we distanced ourselves from her.
When Luna thought we had distanced ourselves far enough away, she turned to the sky and stared at the dimly fading pink and blue splotches that littered the sky. Her horn began to glow and the entirety of the sun had vanished from view and where the sun sat, a radiant moon now adorned its place, leisurely making its way to the peak of its cycle.
“Sister, it is almost time. Let the rays of our moon cascade through the night and foretell the coming events. Tomorrow you will no longer be lonely sister. Tomorrow, you will be where you belong. In the safety of your sister’s hooves,” Luna whispered, a single tear gracing the grass at where she stood, shimmering in the moonlight as Luna departed ways towards my house.
Leo’s House (Fifteen Minutes Later)
Luna quietly walked in from the back door and made her way into the kitchen. Everypony was in the living at the time, chatting with one another while splurging into the wine I had gotten just for special occasions. Luna was soon met with a soft hand on her shoulder, startling her to some extent before she turned around to see me standing in front of her with a glass of wine in my hand.
“May I offer you a drink?” I asked, holding up the glass as it soon levitated out of my hand and towards Luna’s lips. She elegantly took a sip of the wine, the red liquid gently tinting her lips with the sweet nectar. She levitated her glass and rested it upon the kitchen table before turning her full attention to me. All was silent between the two of us, our eyes fixated upon one another. This continued for a few moments before I gently reached a hand up to her face, brushing is over the side of her muzzle and cheek, our faces slowly coming closer together. Our faces were only a few inches away from each other now, the smell of Luna’s sweet breath infused with the red wine she had just consumed. Leaning forward slightly more I hesitated, stopping only an inch or so away from where our lips would meet. We both continued to stare into the eyes of the other, time seeming to lose all meaning to us. It was then that I diverted my head slightly to the right, brushing my left cheek against the right side of her muzzle and face before enveloping the mare in a passionate hug.
“We are going to rescue her. I promise you Luna, we are going to get Celestia out of that place and reunite her with you. I give you my word,” I softly spoke, tightening the hug around Luna. I soon felt soft tears running down the mares face, the tears falling onto the back of my neck as Luna wept of sorrow and joy. A few minutes passed before both parties released from the hug, a teary-eyed princess whose tears were now that of understanding. I smiled innocuously at the mare before I walked out of the room and rejoined the main group in the living room. Luna waited a minute or so before following suit, her glass of wine levitating next to her as she entered the room.
“Alright everypony lets toast,” I said, raising my glass high into the air.
“What are we toasting too Leo?” Twilight asked.
“Whatever it is you feel like toasting too Miss Sparkle,” I said, Rainbow being the first to raise her glass.
“To Loyalty,” she said.
“To Laughter,” Pinkie Pie quickly added.
“To Generosity,” Rarity elegantly furthered.
“To Honesty,” Applejack stated, her southern drawl apparent and fitting.
“To Kindness,” Fluttershy said, surprisingly loud enough for everypony to hear.
“To Magic,” Twilight said.
“To reuniting with family,” Luna loudly voiced.
“To redemption,” I quietly whispered, Luna being the only mare able to hear me. I quickly downed my wine before setting the glass down on the coffee table.
“Alright everypony, it is time for bed. We needed to be fully rested to welcome the Princess tomorrow,” I said, everypony nodding their heads and getting to their hooves.
After saying their goodnights, everypony made their way for their respective bedrooms so that the only ponies awake were Luna, Twilight, and myself. I slowly gathered up the glasses of empty wine before making my way into the kitchen followed by Twilight. I set the empty glasses gingerly in the sink, being as cautious not to break or chip any of the delicate crystal the glasses were made out of. I then turned to Twilight and motioned for us to take a seat at the table. She nodded her head and sat down at the table across from me. I let out a long sigh before looking up from the table and at Twilight.
“Twilight, are you sure you are up to this? I mean, if things go wrong, you could be stuck in that dungeon for who knows how long,” I stated, Twilight retorting with a coy smile.
“Of course I am. This is for Celestia after all,” she said, me giving a slight laugh.
“I can tell you are determined to the cause,” I said, my face then turning to a look of seriousness.
“Twilight, I am sorry to say this, but I may have to some... persuasive techniques so that the other humans don’t arouse suspicion. I am a trained slave hunter after all and even showing you the smallest bit of kindness will have the whole castle on alert,” I regretfully said, Twilight nodding her head in agreement before speaking.
“I hold nothing against you Leo. If I were in the same predicament I would do the same thing you are doing,” Twilight said. I then stood up from my seat at the table, followed by Twilight.
“Thank you Twilight,” I softly spoke pulling the mare into a short hug before releasing her.
“Alright, let’s get to bed. We have a very long day tomorrow and we will both need our rest,” I said, Twilight nodding her head in agreement as we both ascended the stairs and went into our respective rooms. I was almost under the covers of my bed before I heard a soft rapping coming from the other side of my door. I walked over to the door, fully expecting it to be Fluttershy who had another nightmare, but instead I was met with the sight of Luna.
“Oh, hey Luna. You okay?” I asked, finding it rather strange that Luna was at my door during this time of night. The mare began to paw at the floorboard just like Fluttershy would.
“Luna, is everything ok?” I asked, worry plaguing my voice. Luna quickly nodded her head before responding.
“We...or ‘I’ was wondering if it might be suitable for us to share a common place of sleep tonight?” Luna asked, sounding as formal as she could. I stared confusedly at the mare, wondering why she would ask something like this. I could tell she was feeling a bit uneasy about asking me the question, but something else seemed to be bothering her as well. I opened my door and allowed the Princess entrance into my room. I closed the door behind me and walked over to my bed, Luna standing at the doorway, a blush slightly noticeable on her dark blue fur.
“Alright, you can have the left side of the bed and I will take the right. Is that alright?” I asked, Luna nodding her head as she made her way to the left side of the bed before getting under the covers.
“We really appreciate this Leo. Thank you,” Luna said, only letting out a slight shriek of surprise as I rolled over to her back and placed an arm over her center torso, like I do with Fluttershy.
“Luna, what is on your mind?” I asked, stroking her mane with my free hand. A few minutes of silence passed, me still gently stroking Luna’s mane before I heard her begin to whisper to me.
“I'm scared Leo. I'm truly scared,” she stated. I continued to stroke her mane, offering her comfort and support as she continued.
“I'm scared that somehow the Elements of Harmony won’t work on helping Equestria. I'm scared of seeing my friends being sold into slavery and having their lives taken away from them again. I'm scared of seeing my subjects cruelly treated, beaten, and even tortured. But most of all, I'm scared that you will die,” she confessed.
“And what makes you think I'm going to die?” I asked, still gently stroking Luna’s mane with my hand.
“I... I don’t know. I just have this strange feeling something bad is going to happen,” Luna truthfully stated. I then stopped stroking Luna’s mane as I turned her head to face.
“Luna, I promise you that I won’t die. I give you my word and my honor I will not die until Equestria rests in the hooves of its rightful owners,” I said, determination in my voice as Luna continued to stare at me. Luna was about to say something, but stopped herself and settled with a small nuzzle on my cheek. She then turned around and faced her side of the bed again, my arm stilling lying over her middle torso with my chest resting against her soft back. Ten minutes later and Luna was fast asleep. Sleep began to win over me as well. My eyes were completely closed and I was venturing through the phase right before one falls completely asleep. The only opposition my sleep faced, was my mind. After talking with Luna, I become slightly uneasy. To her, she thinks that I will keep true to my promise. To my dismay, I know that I cannot. But if my death means a brighter future for ponykind, especially Luna, Celestia, and the Elements of Harmony; then I may rest easy knowing that I gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect the ponies that I love; that for one more time before I die, I had a family to call my own. And with my final thoughts, I soon drifted off to sleep.